Faldon’s Five Thoughts: Nightmare On Markham

When Arkansas scored early in the third quarter for a 28-7 lead on Louisiana-Monroe, the focus in the press box was “Where is Tyler Wilson? And why isn’t he on the sideline?” The game happening on the field, at that point, was nothing more than an afterthought.

The No. 8-ranked Razorbacks appeared to treat the rest of the game that way, too, and blew a 21-point lead on a Sun Belt team that had never beaten a Top 25 team in school history.

When ULM quarterback Kolton Browning slipped past the Arkansas defensive linemen on fourth-and-1 for a 16-yard touchdown in overtime, everything collapsed for the Razorbacks. The players and coaches can say differently, but you don’t win an SEC title after losing to ULM. You don’t get a spot in the BCS title game after the Warhawks outscore you 27-10 after halftime. And players on top 10 teams that lose to unranked teams that are 30-point underdogs don’t get invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

In the days since, people have been trying to figure out just how it happened. Was it because Tyler Wilson suffered another concussion and didn’t play the second half? Did the scary injuries to Tevin Mitchel and Kody Walker mess with the players’ heads? Was it because the defense might actually be worse than last season? Was Browning just that good? Were the Arkansas coaches unprepared and had they overlooked ULM? Were the football gods just smiling on the Warhawks that night?

Yes. Yes to all of it.

All those things fit together like a Jenga tower. Pull one of those factors out of the equation and Arkansas wins.

However, the most curious was coaching, specifically the plays called by offensive coordinator Paul Petrino.

In the first half with Wilson under center, Arkansas ran the ball 15 times and attempted 20 passes. On the first Arkansas possession of the second half, the Razorbacks ran, passed, ran, passed, ran, passed, ran and passed on an eight-play, 66-yard TD drive.

Using the formula for used to determine NFL win probability, with ULM trailing by 21 with 9:42 left in the third quarter and starting the ensuing drive at its own 25, the Warhawks had a 3 percent chance of winning the game.

Arkansas ran just 23 plays after taking a 28-7 lead. A whopping 16 were passes and only seven were runs. After ULM scored in the first minute of the fourth quarter, Arkansas posted three three-and-outs and one four-play possession. After taking the ball with 14:08 remaining in the game, Arkansas — thanks to 3-of-10 passing and running it just five times — managed to only burn 5:09 off the clock on four possessions before ULM tied the game.

It set the stage and fatigued the defense to the point that when the Warhawks took possession with 90 yards to go for a tie score, they needed just 2:12 to sprint down the field.

2. The Blame Game

Name somebody associated with Arkansas football, and you’ll find a fan blaming that person for the loss to ULM.

Interim coach John L. Smith is catching a lot of it. So is UA athletics director Jeff Long.

In chaos theory — which is way too complex for me to describe — there’s a theory that one small change in a system will result in huge changes later. It’s termed the butterfly effect, after a scientist theorized a butterfly flapping its wings might be the impetus for a tornado thousands of miles away.

Bobby Petrino is the butterfly.

His repeated poor decisions — having an affair with a Razorback Foundation employee, hiring her for a football program employee, taking her for a motorcycle ride and wrecking, lying about her presence on the motorcycle to his boss — started it all.

Even those who think Long is the biggest villain in this mess must admit that.

3. Wilson And War Memorial

Tyler Wilson would probably be OK with never playing at War Memorial Stadium again.

For the second consecutive year, the Arkansas QB missed the second half of the Razorbacks’ first game in Little Rock due to an injury.

On Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe, it wasn’t obvious when the Greenwood native was injured.

Wilson led the Razorbacks down the field on a quick touchdown drive late in the second quarter. His final completed pass was a 61-yard pass down the right sideline to Mekale McKay to the ULM 22. On the next two plays, he drew a pass interference penalty on the Warhawks and then took a quick snap and kneeled down when ULM defenders jumped offside. Knile Davis then scored on a 3-yard TD run that put Arkansas up 21-7 with 2:25 left in the first half.

Wilson didn’t appear any worse for wear. But after ULM’s ensuing drive stalled at the Arkansas 2, backup QB Brandon Allen replaced Wilson for a final handoff to Ronnie Wingo that ended the quarter.

After the halftime break, Wilson never returned to the sideline.

Midway through the third quarter, Arkansas officials termed his injury as being “above the shoulders.” That was the same description used in the season opener when wide receiver Cobi Hamilton left the game. On Monday, Arkansas interim head coach John L. Smith confirmed it was a concussion and Wilson was still experiencing “grogginess.”

In 2010 against New Mexico in Little Rock, Wilson was knocked out of the game on a 7-yard TD run as he collided solidly with a Lobos defender at the goal line.

The score came with 17 seconds left in the second quarter. Wilson popped to his feet and celebrated his TD. But during the halftime break, however, then Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee noticed Wilson wasn’t concentrating with his usual focus.

It’s a shame for Wilson, who will have to fall back on memories of state titles his Greenwood Bulldogs won there.